Refrigerator



M. HOKANSON REFRIGERATOR June' 20, 1939.

Filed Aug. 4, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 20, 1939. M, HOKANSON 2,163,322

REFRIGERATOR Filed Aug. 4, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June ,20, 1939. v. HOKANSON REFRIGERATOR Filed Aug. 4, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June 20, 1939 UNITED STATES REFRIGERATOR Martin Hokanson, Duluth, Minn., assignor to Eidco, Inc., Duluth, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application August 4, 1937, Serial No. 157325 Claims.

( ing lower temperatures than that ordinarily maintained in a food compartment of a refrigerator may be accommodated, and as well as assuring a substantially constant supply of ice cubes.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a shelf in the ice compartment of a refrigerator above the ice usually therein, and which shelf is readily movable either laterally or ventically while being maintained in a horizontal plane.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a novel means and method for utilizing temperatures below the freezing point of water in the ice compartment of a refrigerator.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description thereof.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure l is a broken transverse section through the ice compartment of a refrigerator taken on the line l--l Figura 2, and wherein the shelf and cube cutter is shown in plan View.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view partly in elevation and partly in section taken upon the line 2-2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a combined section and elevation, similar to Figure 2 but at right angles thereto, and illustrating in elevation, from the interier, one side of the combined shelf and cube cutter.

Figure 4 is a plan view of a tray for the freezing of desserts or the like where a temperature lower than that of ice is desired.

Figure 5 is a transverse section on the line 5-5, Fig. 4, illustrating the relative position of the tray when on the shelf rack.

represents the interior of the ice compartment of an ordinary refrigerator, the upper portion of which is illustrated at 2, the back' at 3, u the front door rame at 4, and the ice rack at 5.

It will be understood that in refrigerators particularly adapted and designed for use of the embodiment of the invention here described, the ice rack is inclined slightly downwardly and forwardly so that the ice block is at all times biased i 6 towards the front of the refrigerator; although the invention is applicable to any type of refrigerator.

In the ice compartment I have installed adjacent the four corners thereof eight pulleys or sheaves, the uppermost ones being illustrated at 6, and the lowermost ones at 1, these latter being free to rotate upon their respective pintles, while the uppermost ones 6 are each fixed to a transverse shaft 8 journalled within suitable brackets indicated at 9 at either end thereof. Over each set of four of these sheaves and adjacent either side of the refrigerator is roven a line or cord indicated at o, the ends of which in front are attached as at II and [2 to the upper and lower`20 ends of the guiding and supporting channels [5, while the innermost ends of the lines are attached as at I 3 and l4 to the upper and lower ends of the innermost guiding and supporting channels at the four corners of the shelf rack. 26

It will be noted that the line having its foremost end attached as at ll extends upwardly over the front sheave 6 and thence downwardly under and around the back sheave 7 on the same side of the refrigerator and attached as at l4; 30 and that the line having its foremost end attached as at I 2 extends below and around the forward sheave 1, thence upwardly, over and around the rearmost upper sheave 6, and downwardly and'attached as at !3. Now the attachments of the termini of the four sets of lines just described are made at the opposite ends of the two short Vertically slidable channels |5 upon either side of the refrigerant compartment, as clearly seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings. short sections of channels |5 are slidable vertically each within a fixed channel !6 attached .to the sides of the refrigerator, so that in this manner the combined shelf and cube cutting rack may be readily'raised and lowered, and that in a positively horizontal position, due to the obvious functioning of the line suspension attachment at the four ends thereof.

The combined shelf and ice cube cutting grid will hereafter be referred to as the shelf rack, 50 and, for its horizontal slidable support to permit of horizontal movement, there is provided upon either side of the refrigerant space the channel member l2', and which is fixed to the short channels !5 which are slidable vertically within the These 40 channels !6. This channel |2' is engaged by and supports a similarly sized channel l'l upon either side of the shelf rack and at either end of which these channels are united as by the vertically disposed end members or plates !8, they acting, above the shelf portion, as a sort of dash board to prevent objects on the shelf from becoming dislodged when the shelf rack is moved, and extending to the lower extremity of the cube cutting device where they are turned inwardly a short distance as at IS, thereby forming supports for the ends of the fore and aft flat sheet metal cube forming members 20,

The shelf portion of the rack, for reception and support of commodities to be cooled, is accomplished by the novel assembly of cube sheets, those extending from one side to the other of the rack being indicated at 2l, each being turned at right angles upon their upper edges, forming the flat relatively narrow bars 22 extending from ,side to side of the raek,` the vertical portion of of the cubes desired, and, in this instance are approximately one and one-half inch cubes. In

thismanner the' fore and aft sheets 20 rest upon the inwardly turned flanges !9 of the end members :18, thus adequately supportingsame. On

top of the ends-of-the fianged portions 22 of the transverse members are'installed retaining barsillustrated at 24 where they are properly welded or-otherw-ise -attached'during the final assembly of .the rack.

However, asa means for selectively spacing the shelf rack above the ice-or in the upper part of the refrigerant-compartment, as, for examp1e,a-when the same is being re-iced, I have pro- Vided holding members in the opposite front corners of the shelf rack, and which comprise extensions 25 of the lower corners of the front member 13, these-extensions at either end of said member beingof a 'height somewhat less than the Width of the notches26 (see'Fig. 3) in the forwardlyextending fianges 21 of the front fixed channels !6 at either side of the ice compartment, so that the extensions may be readily engaged within any one of such notches when the shelf rack is raised or lowered to any desired position. But when the shelf 'rack is resting upon the upper portion of the ice block it is not 'extended to its farthest rear position With the looking member engaged so that nothing will interfere with the shelfcrack gradually sinking into the upper surface of the ice. Because of the slightly inclined position of the ice rack, the natural tcndency of the ice block is to move or slide toward the front of the rack, and, of course, 'it would carry with'it the shelf rack and thus hold it in unlocked position and free to gravitate downwardly with the melting of the ice block.

In Figure 4 is illustrated a suitable tray 30 for freezing desserts or the like, and which is preferably of rectangular form to accommodate about the upper 'central compartment 3! therein a given number of cubes of ice as formed by the combined shelf and rack previously described, such arrangement of cubes being illustrated as at 22, and the compartment 3| being .used :forthe 'reception of any dessert or the .within said.compartment,and .means to support like which it is desired to freeze or maintain below the freezing point.

In the utilization of such a device I contemplate first sprinkling salt within the compartment surrounding that illustrated at 3| before 5 plaoing the ice cubes therein, and then sprinkling salt upon the cubes after being placed within the tray. As is obvious the cubes employed would naturally be taken from the side portions of the upper surface of the ice so that the cubes in the centermost portion thereof Would still remain intact and extending upwardly the full depth of the combined shelf and rack so that when the dessert tray is prepared as described it may be placed downwardly upon the centermost portion of the shelf rack where the bottom will directly contact the upper surface of the ice block and thus derive the quickest possible benefit from such an installation.

From the foregoing it is apparent that I have not only devised simple means for the utilization of space ordinarilynot made use of, but

in so doing `have provided means by which the efiiciency of the refrigerant is improved, in that an auxiliary weight is provided upon the ice .block which is constant throughout the melting 'of-same, aiding materially in the reduction of the insulating film of water between the refrigerant and the ice rack, as 'well as the almost instantaneous elimination of same as formed, which is known to be sordetrimental in the common refrigerator.

Furthermore it is apparent that by having a shelf, or the v equivalent thereof, in relatively 'close proximity above the refrigerant, and with .uniform impingementthereupon throughout the upper surface thereof, insures the maintenance of the upper surface of the ice' block in a horizontal plane, greatly facilitating re-icing,setc.

Having thus described my invention, What IAO claim. and desire to' secure by Letters Patcnt, is: 1. The combination with a refrigerator having a refrigerant compartment therein, of a verti- -cally and horizontally adjustable combined shelf and ice cube forming gridabove and adapted to rest upon a refrigerant whereby cubes of said refrigerant are substantially at all times available beneath said shelf.

4. In a refrigerant compartment adapted to receive a refrigerant, a vertically movable shelf therein, said shelf having means on the bottom thereof for kerfing theupper surface of said refrigerant.

5. In a refrigerant compartment adapted to receive avrefrigerant, -a shelf within said compartment, 'said shelf having means combined therewith for kerfing the upper surface of said refrigerant.

6. The combination with an ice refrigerator having an ice compartment therein, of removable (and adjustable shelving within 'said compartment, and means to support said shelf so as 70 to normally rest upon an iceblock therein and descendthereupon as the ice melts.

7. The combination with an ice refrigerator having an .ice compartment therein, of a shelf position so as to normally rest upon an ice block therein, said shelf ,being horizontally slidable within said vertically adjustable means.

10. The combination with an ice refrigerator having an ice compartment therein, of vertically adjustable shelf supporting means within said compartment, and a shelf horizontally slidable within said supporting means, said supporting means maintaining said shelf in a horizontal position and normally in contact with an ice 10 block within said compartment.

MARTIN HOKANSON. 

